On July 21st, a bizarre incident unfolded at the Civil Affairs Bureau in Changchun, Jilin Province, where a newlywed couple mistakenly received divorce certificates instead of their marriage certificates. The news of this mix-up quickly went viral online, landing the incident at the top of Weibo’s trending list.
According to a video posted by a netizen, on the morning of July 21st, she and her husband went to the marriage registration office at the Changchun Automobile Economic and Technological Development Zone Civil Affairs Bureau to obtain their marriage certificates. To their surprise, they were handed certificates with red covers labeled “divorce certificates.” The netizen expressed disbelief in the video, stating, “We haven’t even gotten married yet, and they’re already giving us divorce certificates.”
In the video, the netizen is seen holding two divorce certificates with a photo of the couple, with the registration date of July 21, 2025, and the words “divorce certificate number” printed on them.
On the same day in the afternoon, a staff member from the Civil Affairs Bureau responded to Jiemu News, acknowledging that due to negligence, the staff mistakenly stamped the divorce certificate instead of the marriage certificate during the registration process.
The staff member explained that both marriage and divorce certificates now have red covers, and it was an accidental mix-up. They apologized for the mistake and assured that the correct certificates were reissued to the couple promptly.
The incident of “newlyweds receiving divorce certificates instead of marriage certificates” quickly became the hottest topic on Weibo that evening.
Netizens expressed their astonishment, with comments such as, “Unbelievable! Turning a marriage certificate into a divorce certificate, and just brushing it off as a mistake – public servants should respect people’s dignity more.” “Such a basic task, yet such a low-level mistake was made.”
“In the past, the two certificates were different colors. I wonder which genius at the Civil Affairs Department decided to unify the colors for both marriage and divorce certificates.” “It seems like they are more used to handling divorce cases now. There are hardly any couples getting married in the lobby.” “The first time I’ve seen a couple’s photo on a divorce certificate.”
“In short, it was a case of staff carelessness, but looking at it broadly, it reflects an issue of work ethic. If they do not take this matter seriously, it could lead to bigger problems down the line.”